Rose Sir Clough

Rose variety ‘Sir Clough’ leans heavily into its Rugosa heritage, resulting in a bold, cerise-pink shrub rose with a rugged personality, strong scent, and a naturalistic character. Robust, tall, and floriferous, thrives when given space and thoughtful training. With its semi-double, fragrant blooms, arched growth, and excellent repeat flowering, it rewards the patient gardener with vibrant color and nostalgic charm.

FLOWERING

The blooming habit of the rose variety ‘Sir Clough’ is recurrent, it blooms in flushes from early summer until the frosts.

The flower buds of this rose are coral to crimson, they are gathered in clusters of 3 - 9 blooms together at the tips of long stems. The blooms are large and semi-double, measuring around 12 cm (4.7 inches) in diameter, and bear a strong resemblance to traditional gallica roses like Rosa gallica officinalis, though with a modern vigor and cleaner lines. The petals are cerise pink, bright and saturated, with a subtle white or yellow flush at the base, forming a ring around a striking golden boss of stamens. Flowers open wide and flat, revealing their cheerful centers.

The flowers possess a strong Old Rose fragrance, reminiscent of their Rugosa parent, and are occasionally followed by decorative orange hips in autumn if deadheading is stopped.

PLANT

The rose variety ‘Sir Clough’ is classified as a Shrub rose and is part of David Austin’s English Shrub Roses collection. This rose is a tall and vigorous shrub, grows with arching, somewhat sparse canes that can reach 250 cm (8 feet) in warmer climates, or about 150 cm (5 feet) in cooler zones. The width of the mature and well established plants is about 90 - 150 cm (3 - 5 feet). It is upright yet lanky, often best trained as a climber on a tripod, trellis, or wall, or pegged down to encourage flowering along the stems. Left untamed, it forms a large, open shrub, somewhat wild in character.

Canes are armed with numerous, widely spaced prickles, often hooked and reddish in color, while the medium green foliage is tough, matte, and sometimes bronzed when young - another nod to its Rugosa ancestry. Though not densely foliated, the plant’s informal elegance makes it well suited to cottage gardens, wild borders, or large naturalistic plantings. The number of leaflets on normal mid-stem leaves is typically 7, including the terminal leaflet, the edges of the leaflets are serrated, and the type of serration is small.

‘Sir Clough’ is tough and resilient, tolerating a range of soils and conditions, and proving highly suitable for gardeners in USDA Zones 5 - 9. It can be hard pruned to control size but responds especially well to layering and self-pegging, which increases flowering along the length of its stems. For the best display, it is often recommended to plant in groups or train over supports such as arches or teepee-style stakes, encouraging full flowering from base to tip.

Deadheading after early flushes will encourage repeat blooms, but allowing hips to form in autumn adds ornamental interest. The rose shows some susceptibility to blackspot late in the season, but overall maintains clean, healthy foliage.

Due to its height and informal structure, ‘Sir Clough’ excels in roles where vertical interest, romantic drama, or wild garden flair is desired. It makes an effective freestanding specimen, cottage border backdrop, climber over structures, or even a natural screen between garden rooms. Its strong fragrance and eye-catching stamens also make it suitable for cutting, particularly in arrangements seeking an old-fashioned aesthetic.

Named in honor of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (1883 - 1978), the visionary Welsh architect behind Portmeirion Village in North Wales, whose life's work blended artistic vision with natural harmony.

English Shrub Roses

ORIGIN OF THE VARIETY

Rose variety ‘Sir Clough' originated by David Austin by crossing female parent (seed parent) an English shrub rose ’Auscer’ / ’Chaucer’ with the male parent (pollen parent) Rugosa rose hybrid ’Conrad Ferdinand Meyer’.

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